Panel or unit for buildings and building constructed therefrom



Nov. 7, 1944. I BRUNTON AL 2,362,187

PANELS on UNITS FOR BUILDINGS AND BUILDING CONSTRUCTED THERE-FROM Filed Feb. 2, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIVYENTORS B, Beu vra/v, I? G. Boorw,

Nov. 7, 1944. BRUNTON ET AL PANELS OR UNITS FOR BUILD INGS AND BUILDING CONSTRUGTED THEREFROM Filed Feb. 2, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

5. B u/vTo/v A GHBOOTH) Patented Nov. 7, 1944 PANEL OR UNIT FOR BUILDINGS AND BUILDING CONSTRUCTED THEREFROM Bernard Brunton and Rolfe Gilbert Booth, London, England Application February 2, 1942, Serial No. 429,304 In Great Britain February 10, 1941 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in panels or units for buildings and to buildings constructed from such panels or units. The primary object of this invention is to provide slabs or blocks which can be used for building walls androofs of buildings such as hutments and the like. A further object is to provide panels which are light in weight and whichpossess a good degree of sound and heat insulation. Another object is to provide panels which lend themselves to the easy erection of buildings, especially buildings of a temporary nature, such as hutments for barracks, billeting, hotels, clubrooms and the like.

There are other objects that Will be apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred construction of panel and one form of building constructed from such panels.

In the drawings: a

Figure l is a fragmentary cross section showing the butting and jointing of marginal edges of adjacent panels,

Fig. 2 is a cross section of a roof panel on the line 22 Figure 4, T

Figure 3 is a similar view on the line 3--3 Figure 4, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view, showing a part of the one form of building.

The panels I each comprise a core of wood, 1. e. wood shavings which are bound together bytmeans of a coating and binding material, material such as cement. The core is conveniently in sections and struts of a more rigid nature such as Wood may be provided therein to increase the strength of the slab. Preferablythe core is made'from wood wool blocks of one or two inch thickness, which are spaced by wood strips of slightly less thickness, the said strips being coated with an asphalt or bituminous' layer. The slabs are bounded by a frame which is of a thickness greater than the thickness of the core at least on one face (both faces in the example shown) thus forming a space which can be filled or partly filled by means of a plaster board, or other suitable facing board or layer of plaster. In the preferred case, the frame includes the wood strips 2 of suitable dimensions and of a thickness such that a layer of plaster can be screened on each side of the core so as to form a flush face on each side, the spacing strips serving to brace'the slabs, the sections of the wood wool terminating short of the bracing strips so that through passages are left in which the plaster can flow and so unites the two layers. The frame, strips and blocks may be coated with asphalt or like compound as also may one or both faces of the slab and the plaster may contain ingredients which will improve the Weather-resisting qualities thereof. Alternatively, plaster or building board may be provided on one or both faces of the core.

f In order to allow for the joining up of the slab on each face, and on the frame, shaped strips 3 are provided the said strips conveniently being chamfered along inner "and outer edges as at 4, the said chamfering being at an angle of 45. Panels can be jointed in co-planar juxtaposed position by forming apertures in the margins through the chamfered faces and then uniting the panels, by screws or other means 5 (Figure 1). Further, the panels can be united in right angular disposition, the thickness of a complete margin, i. e. from face to face, being twice the thickness, i. e. the distance from the inside to the outside thereof. This means that one panel can be butted at a right angle against the co-planar and united panels and secured thereto by screw means as aforesaid and as shown in Figure 4. l The construction of panel herein described readily lends itself to the formation of hutments of differing design regarding the size (within limits) of room, number of rooms, layout and the like whilst embodying a general or basic crosssection or unit. For example, panels of standard size may be used as walling or built with suitable framing as windows, doors or the like and assembled as herein mentioned.

Referring .to Figure 4, the foundations consist of hard core 6 with a layer of binding concrete l; a damp course 8 and a top layer of concrete 9, with a suitable floor finish I0. Suitable rnortices H for rag bolts are formed whilst the keel plate l2 formed from wood strips is laid out 'to the plan of the walls. The panels l-are mounted on the keel plate to which they are secured by means of screws or nails and they are secured by screws or nails and they are secured to one another by similar means. It will be observed from Figure 1 that the chamfering of the strips 3 is at an angle of 45 whereby the screws can pass through preformed apertures therein eitherinto an adjacent panel frame or intothe keel plate [2. The panels forming the interior or party walls need not be treated for weatherproofing but preferably the outer wall panels are coated with a plastic waterproof compound or painted for weatherproofing, or the outer board is a waterproof building board. Some of the exterior panels e. g. the panels M are half panels thus providing a space for metal windows e. g. I5. Further panels [3 may be provided of both half standard width and height to accommodate a standard window of one half the width of the window I 5 in which case the comunits utilising standard doors. The frames thereof are constructed so as to unite with adjacent frames in the manner described.

Dealing now with the roof panels, these comprise panels I8 having runner members 19 along one opposite pair of edges. These runner members serve to support the roof, either by resting on members'mounted on the top edges of the walls, or by attachment to an adjacent member. In the example'illustrated a portion of a build.- ing is shown having rooms, one of which 20 is shown leading off from a corridor 2|.

In Fig. 2 the roof panel 13 is supported on the frame members 4 by box-like beam elementsdesignated generally as B. These beams include the top wall forming members 22 and the side wall forming members 23 and 24 which are preferably in the form of suitable sheet material carried by the spacing members 25. The said spacing members have their bottom edges bearing on the top rails of the wall forming panels, and as illustrated, are preferably wider than the top rails of the panels. The side edges of the said spacing members 25 are stepped inwardly to provide intermediate shoulders 25a.

For holding the spacing members 25 in the desired spaced relationship longitudinally of the beam, stringers 26 may be secured in the angle resulting fromthe stepped formation of the side edges, and as shown in the drawings, the said stringers provide inwardly facing seatings at opposite sides of each spacing member. The bottom edges of the spacing members 25 which project over the top rails of the panels may also be provided with the stringers 26a, which, as shown, are covered by the side wall forming members 2 1. This latter arrangement provides in effect a socket for receiving a top rail of a panel during erection or assembly. When the beams are thus mounted on the wall forming panels, they may be nailed or otherwise fastened together. When the beams are assembled to define a room or compartment the inwardly facing seatings provided at the top of the stringers 26 constitute supports for the lower edges of the runner members l9 which depend like flanges from the sides of the roof or ceiling forming panels [8.

In Figure 3, the roof is supported on box-like members 21 which are formed with an inner seating 26, and outer eaves members 28.- Over the window a blacked-out shield 29 is shown. The members l9 are supported on the transverse party walls on strips or blocks 3%, and are held thereon by facing boards 3!. These supporting members are tapered to give a fall to the roof. The said roof is covered with a waterproof covering 32, and a suitable plastic or other undercoating may also be provided. The lower portions of the panels are covered on the outside by means of felt or like strip 33 whilst butting panel edges are covered by strips 34. The joints may also be grouted with a mastic. A bare board 35 covers the felt 33, whilst mastic filling 35 may be employed where desired for example on the upper edge of the board 35.

The construction lends itself to the building of hutments and complete quarters for many uses such as barracks, camps, living quarters and the like and allows speedy erection.

For example, for the construction of a camp for evacuees single storey buildings of H,.T or other shape in plan can be resorted to, these inc'luding a plurality of living and/or sleeping room units, locker rooms, children's rooms, refectories, lavatories, bathrooms or the like, all of which are built to the cross-section, the corridors serving as a means of communication between the various wings.

The principal advantages of buildings made with the panels aforesaid are that the panels are strong and possess good heat and weather insulation whilst a standard panel (say approximately '7 feet by 3 feet) can be lifted and handled by two persons. Further, the buildings can be dismantled easily.

The invention may also be applied to singleroom buildings without any internal partitions, the roofing being supported by beams or other suitable members.

We claim:

l. A building, including, a roof and ceiling construction adapted to be mounted on the top rails of wall forming panels defining room spaces in the building, said roof and ceiling construc-v tion comprising, hollow box-like beams including spacing members having their bottom edges bearing transversely on said toprail and having their side edges stepped inwardly medially of their top and bottom edges, top and side facing sheets fitted to the top and inwardly stepped edges of the spacing members, and roof panels having depending runner flanges whose lower edges are supported by the stepped formations of the spacing members which face inwardly of the room space.

2. A building, including, a roof and ceiling construction adapted to be mounted on the top rails of wall forming panels defining room spaces in the building, said roof and ceiling construction comprising, hollow box-like beams including spacing members. having their bottom edges bearing transversely on said top rail and having their side edges stepped inwardly medially of their top and bottom edges, to provide inset shoulders at different elevations, top and side facing sheets fitted to the top and side edges of the spacing members, and roof panels having depending runner flanges whose lower edges are supported upon the said shoulders which face inwardly of the room space.

3. A building, including, a roof and ceiling construction adapted to be mounted on the top rails of wall forming panels defining room spaces in the building, said roof and ceiling construction comprising, hollow box-like beams including spacing members having their bottom edges bearing transversely on said top rail and projecting beyond the same, and also having their side edges stepped inwardly medially of their top and bottom edges, to provide inset shoulders, upper longitudinal stringers'fitted in the angle formed by said shoulders, lower longitudinal stringers depending from the bottom corners of the spacing members which project beyond the said top rails, top and side facing sheets fitted to the top and side edges of the spacing members, the side sheets covering said upper and lower stringers, and the lower stringers providing in effect a socket for receiving said top rails, and roof panels. having depending runner flanges whose lower edges are supported on the seatings provided by the upper longitudinal stringers.

BERNARD BRUNTON. ROLFE GILBERT BOOTH. 

